Mechanism for feeding and conveying open receptacles such as tins



April 14, 1925.

1,533,943 W. E. PRESCOTT ET AL MECHANISM FOR PENDING AND CONVEYING OPEN REC'EPTACLES SUCHA As TINs 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Sept. 27. 1920 w. E. PREscoTT ET AL MECHANISM FOR FEEDING AND CONVEYING OPENREGEPTACLES SUCH AS TINS Filed Sept. 27, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics.

WILLIAM EDWARD PRESCOTT, OF HARLESDEN, LONDON, AND JOHN EDNARD POIN- TO'N, OF PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO JOSEPH BAKER, SONS AND PER- 'KINS LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AvvCYORIORATION 0F GREAT BRITAIN.

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING- AND CONVEYING OPEN REGEPTACLES SUCH AS TINS.

Application filed September 27, 1920. Serial No. 413,225. l

To all 'u2/0m z' may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM EDWARD Pnnsoor'r, of Harlesden, London, N. W., England, and J oHN EDWARD PoINToN, of Peterborough, in the county of Northants, England, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Feeding and Conveying Open Receptacles Such as Tins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding and conveying open receptacles such as tins which may require filling as by means of an automatic depositing or filling device, for example, for the filling, of tins with paste or substance in semi-fluid, liquid, or powder form, and the primary object is to provide a novel and simple form of automatic feeding device by which the receptacles (hereinafter referred to as tins) which are placed peil-inell or haphazard in a hopper or equivalent, will be assed in definite spaced relation to a position where they are filled or charged or otherwise dealt with.

Further objects are to continue the conveyance or feed of the tins after the same are filled and the transfer thereof to other conveying means forV conveyance through a cooling or other treating chamber; and further to provide in combination withsaid feeding and conveying means a depositing device which will receive movement in the same direction and at the same `speed as the tins during the-filling operation.

According to this invention the feeding means comprises broadly a chamber or hopper for the receptacles containing a conveyor provided with elements adapted to enter the open sides or mouths of the receptacles and convey them open side downwards partially about a revolving member to a positionV in which they leave said conveyor with their open sides or mouths directed upwards to receive a charge. y

The invention further comprises a shaking inclined table onto which the receptacles are fed from the conveyor, which 1n turn passes them to another conveyor, which leads them to a filling machine, and thence, if desired, to a cooling device.

The invention further comprises details of construction and combination of parts, including novel means for spacing the receptacles all as hereinafter described andv vertical section through the cooler and as-V sociated mechanism, and Fig'. 2 is a detail elevation.

T he apparatus shown in the drawing comprises a hopper a' to receive the tins, this hopper preferably having an inclined base. ll/*ithin said hopper is located part of a conveyor b passing over a board b1 and appropriately formed of an endless band passing about kguide rollers above and below, as shown at b2 and b3 respectively, and thence about a drum c or the like of relatively large diameter.

The conveyor is provided on its surface extending into the hopper with a series of studs, projections or the like b4, which engage the open ends or mouths of any tins ne which may be positioned in the hopper to receive them and possibly also other tins not so positioned. Tn the latter case a brush oi' equivalent d, provided at or near the top of the hopper and shown as carried by an arm Z1 adjustably'inounted on the hopper, will engage such tins and assist in bringing them into proper position to be engaged by the studs, or should the brush fail in this operation, it will return the tins to the hopper. It is immaterial `at this stage whether the tins are uniformly collected from the `hopper by the studs b4 or not, since they are afterwards aligned or spaced before being filled, as will hereinafter appear. Those tins which have been removed from the hopper are carried along by the studs on the upper run of the conveyor, open side downwards, as shown at m1 and are then carried by said conveyor around the drum, being prevented from lfalling off the conveyor by a curved guard or lshield e partly surrounding or enclosing the drum at a suitable distance from theco'nveyor. Y The said guard ie adjustable to or from the sur-f face of the drum to provide for tins of different depth, being mounted on cranked arms el. These arms are connected by a rod e2 to secure simultaneous movement, and the lower arm el is connected to an arm e4 moved by a worm gear e operated by a hand-wheel c6.

At the end of the guard e the tins, having now been brought with their open sides or `mouths uppermost, as shown at x2, are deposited on a plate or table f to which shaking or jogging motion is given as by mounting said plate on arms f1 (one of which is shown) to which vertical vibratory movement 4is given by a cam or eccentric f2 driven by pulley f3 through crossed belt f7 from the main drive shaft f4. From this latter shaft also rotary movement is shown as given to the drum c by means of belt 01, pulley 02, bevel gears c3, shaft c4 and worm gear 05. y

The movements of the plate or table will compact the'tins to some extent, and this plate being also slightly inclined as shown, will cause the tins to be fed down same, but whilst they are being` thus fed they are subjected to the action of a rotary brush f5 by mea-ns of which they are given a slight forward movement to prevent any crowding of the tins, this brush to some extent spacing the tins and bringing them into alignment or rows. The brush is shown as driven by crossed belt f6 driven from a pulley on the shaft of the eccentric f2.

The tins on the table f pass off the end thereof onto a conveyor ZL suitablyformed of Vmetal slats or laths Ztl, but before doing so are definitely spaced eitherin rows or singly by means of a rising and falling gate g (Fig. 2) mounted on pivoted arms g1, one of. which is shown, and operated by a lever g2 which engages the ratchet toothed or cammed surface of a rotary disk (/3 whereby periodical rising and falling movements lare imparted to said gat-sto release the tins or to arrest same and thus space them at desired distances apart. lVhen lowered this gate arrests the small tins and places them in accurate adjustment.V The table f, is connected by links fato a slide g5 which works in a frame pivoted at gs and is reciprocated in this frame by a lever gG to which motion is imparted by arm g1 and cam g, so that the table is reciprocated upon the ends of the levers f1 which support and shake it. Then the gate has been lowered and has aligned a number of tins the table moves forward, that is Vto the right of Fig. 1, and at the same time the gate is raised and lowered again. On redescending it lies behind the tins it has previously aligned. The table then moves to the left and the gate pushes the row of tins olf it'on to the conveyor h. Fig. 1 shows the table in its left hand position. The lever g is connected by a link gT to a bell crank lever gg which actuates the disc g3 by means of the pawl g1,

The tins are thus properly fedon to the conveyor Zt at desired distances apart and aligned to arrive at the correct time and in proper position below a depositing or filling machine to receive their charges of substance therefrom. Such lling machine may be of any desired character but is preferably of a type in which its delivery means is operated in timed relation with the movements of the conveyor and the spacing and aligning gate g, and in addition, it is preferred that the delivery means of the filling machine shall have longitudinal movement. in the same direction.l and at the same speed as the conveyor, so that the movement of the latter can be continuousfand said delivery means moves with the tins whilstthe latter are being-filled, and then returns to original position ready to lill another tin or batch thereof.

Such a machine, which is of a known type, is shown in outline in the accompanying drawing, and comprises a hopper z' for the substance to be fed tothe tins, containing rollers l which feed the substance to dclivery die or dies i2, which yis or are opened or closed at desired moments by means of slides 3 actuated by rods 4 and levers coupled by rod 6 for synchronous movenient. Reciprocating movement of the die or dies corresponding to the speed of travel of the tins or the conveyor is eected by mounting said dies on a slide 7' to which movement is imparted from a. crank disk j, through rod jg, swinging frame y'3 and links jf. p

' After the tins have received their charge of substance, they may be transferred to another conveyor Z: by which they are passed through a cooling device Z or otherwise dealt with, and where this latter cor.- veyor is provided, it is preferably driven independently of the slat conveyor Zi, such as by a variable speed drive mechanism.

1n transferring the tins to said conveyor Zr, there may be used another device similar to gate g for preserving the spacing of the tins, this additional gate being shown at m mounted in a slide m1 pivoted lat m2 and to which reciprocating movement is given by lever ma rocked by ymeans of'an arm m4 engaging a box cam or 'equivalent m5. The rising and falling movements are imparted to the slide and vconsequently to the gate by means of a rod a andarm nl on same shaft as lever Vma. Extensions m of lever m3 and (711 of lever gG are coupled together by a rod m7 in order that botlrthe gates shall be moved in proper timed relation. l

The cooling device Z shown is of a known type, comprising a chamber ZL having a hollow table Z2 over which the conveyor 7c passes and which receives some cooling medium, brine pipes l* being mounted above said chamber, and the cold air circulated in the chamber as by means of a Yfan Z3,

llliat We claim our invention and desire to secure by Letters l)atent of the United States is i- 1. ln mechanism :for 'feeding and conveying open receptacles, the combination oit a hopper to receive the receptacles, a conveyor movable in said hopper, devices on said conveyor adapted to engage and carry along` said receptacle, a revolvingl drum, around part of the peripheryot which the receptacles are conveyed by the conveyor, and by `which the conveyor' is moved to a position to discharfre the receptacles with their open ends directed upwardly, and means adjacent the upper-'part oli the hopper `for causing` receptacles to present their open ends to the carrying' devices on the conveyor around the drum, or return said receptacles to the hopper.

2. In mechanism tor feedingand conveying open receptacles, the combination of a hopper to receive the receptacles, a conveyor movable in said hopper, devices on said conveyor adapted to engage and carry along the receptacles, a brush in the hopper adapted to engage the receptacles to bring,` them into proper position for engagement of their open ends by the conveyor devices or cause their return to the hopper, and a revolving,` drum around part of the periphery of which the receptacles are conveyed by the conveyor, and by which the conveyor is moved to a position to discharge the receptacles with their open ends directed upwardly.

3. In mechanism for feeding; and conveying open receptacles, the combination of a hopper to receive the receptacles, a conveyor movable in said hopper, devices on said conveyor adapted to engage and carry along` the receptacles, a revolving drum around part of the periphery ot which the receptacles are conveyed by the conveyor, and by which the conveyor is moved to a position to discharge the receptacles with their open Ll. ln mechanism for feeding and conveying open receptacles, the combination of a hopper to receive the receptacles, a conveyor movable in said hopper, devices on said conveyor adapted to enter the open ends of said receptacles, a revolving drum, around part oit the periphery oit' which the receptacles are conveyed by the conveyor, and by which the conveyor .is moved to a position to discharge the receptacles with their open ends directed upwardly, an inclined'table receivinp` the receptacles from the conveyor, means for imparting shaking movements to said table to feed the receptacles therealong, and means cri-operating with the latter .for spacing and aligning the receptacles before they leave the table.

5. ln mechanism for 'feeding and conveying` open receptacles, the combination of a hopper to receive the receptacles, a conveyor movable in said hopper, devices on said conveyor adapted to enter the open ends `of said receptacles, a revolving` drum around part of the periphery of which the recep- A tacles are conveyed by the conveyor, and by which the conveyor is moved to a position toV discharge the receptacles with their open ends directed upwardly, an inclined table receiving the receptacles from the conveyor, means tor imparting shaking movements to said table to feed the receptacles therealong,

and means co-operating with the latter for spacing and aligning the receptacles before they leave the table, said spacing' and aligning means also serving to positively feed the receptacles from the table.

In Witness whereof we have signed this specification. f

WILLIAM nDWAnD rnnsoorr. JOHN EDWARD rorNToN. 

